Welcome to The Storytellers Summit!

The Agent-Author Relationship with Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Shifa is the National Book Award winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former ELA teacher, and is passionate about spreading a love of reading through storytimes and school visits. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children.

How to Harness Your Inner-Child Wonder to Write for Kids with Donna Galanti: Donna is the children’s book author of the Unicorn Island series, Joshua and the Lightning Road series, and Loon Cove Summer as well as the bestselling Element Trilogy thrillers for adults. She has lived in fun locations including England, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and in Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna is an avid outdoor adventurer and nature lover. She volunteers for the Old-Growth Forest Network and the National Audubon Society.

How Creative Confidence Grows Before Structure and Why Representation Makes It Possible with Paula Banks: Paula is a children’s author and creative educator who teaches families how to build confidence through storytelling. She is the founder of LitKids Create and EION Books Publishing, and the voice behind the Story Hustle movement, a growing ecosystem of tools designed to help parents support their child’s imagination and self-expression at home. Her work includes The LIT Writing Method™, The Story Glow-Up™, and the Five Storytelling Types, frameworks that give families a simple, culturally grounded way to understand and guide their child’s creative process. Through workshops, school partnerships, and her Story Hustle TV series, Paula offers guidance that feels warm, practical, and rooted in real-life teaching and parenting experiences. She believes children thrive when the adults in their life slow down, listen closely, and make room for their ideas. Her mission is to help families do exactly that one story at a time.

All About Community with the KIDLIT411 Team: Sylvia Liu grew up with books and daydreams in Caracas, Venezuela. Once an environmental attorney protecting the oceans, she now spins stories about nature, strong girls, and the intricacies of family and friendship. Her books include Stealing the Score (Scholastic, Feb 2026), Near and Deer (Scholastic 2024), Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation (Razorbill 2022), Manatee’s Best Friend (Scholastic 2021), and A Morning with Grandpa (Lee & Low New Voices Award winner). Sylvia co-runs the kid lit resource website Kidlit411 and lives in Virginia with her family and a fluffy cat. Elaine Kiely Kearns is a picture book and middle-grade author and the founder of the children’s writing website, KidLit411. Armed with a master’s degree in Education and working from her home office, she spends her time perusing the internet for golden nuggets of information about children’s writing and creating her own stories. Her debut picture book, Noah Noasaurus, illustrated by Colin Jack (Albert Whitman) published in April 2019. She lives in New York with her husband, daughters, and a menagerie of animals. She is represented by Jonathan Rosen of the Seymour Agency. 

Email Marketing 101 with Karen Ferreira: Karen Ferreira is the founder Children’s Book Mastery and GetYourBookIllustrations. She’s helped thousands of aspiring and self-published authors complete their books, reach bestseller status, and connect with tens of thousands of readers. She also publishes The KidLit Creators Chronicle, a weekly publication offering in-depth, practical guidance to help children’s book authors write, publish and market with more confidence and success.

How Do Authors and Illustrators Work? with Dave Perry: David is a freelance comic illustrator, character designer, and screenwriter, specializing in pitch material for animated series, and he is the lecturer of 2D Animation, Character Design, and Comics at Indiana University – Indianapolis. He is an award-winning writer, and has had illustrations and writing published at Butler University’s ‘Manuscripts,’ Indiana University’s ‘Genesis,” and California State University – Northridge’s ‘Northridge Review,’ as well as Flora Fiction and New York’s Hudson Valley ‘Chronogram.’ He is the illustrator for Emmy-winning Nickelodeon writer Max Beaudry’s ‘Aw, Nuts!’ middle grade graphic novel, Netflix producer Max Botkin’s ‘Jen, Glen, and the Line Between Them’ children’s early reader book, and he is the creator of ‘Mallory Bash’ (web comic and animated series concept) and ‘Pie Girl’ (graphic novel and animated short concept).

To Podcast or Not to Podcast: What you need to decide before starting a podcast! with Valerie Fentress: Valerie Fentress is a mom of three boys with a passion for growing a love for faith and books in young kids. Whether that is in the books and articles she writes or on Sunday morning as a preschool storyteller. Her book An Easter Bunny’s Tale was an AWSA Christian Picture Book finalist. In 2024, her book Beneath the Hood won the Illuminations Award-Enduring Light Gold Medal. Valerie considers books a love language and loves talking about children’s books on her BookWorthy Podcast.

Q&A Wishlist and Pitch Opportunity with agent Syrone Harvey: Syrone Harvey is an impassioned literary professional with a strong background in publication, editorial services, development and project management. She is committed to providing a  “bookend” of individual support to authors at every level. As a published author, Syrone holds genuine enthusiasm for literature and a love for storytelling. She is deeply committed to championing diverse narratives, nurturing emerging talent, and presenting fresh perspectives. She embraces the belief that everyone has a unique story to share. Her dedication is in collaborating with authors while listening and drawing from their interpretation of their creative art. Syrone understands the developmental process, providing insightful feedback, helping authors refine their manuscripts and navigating the nuances of the publishing process. Syrone has a keen editorial eye and a knack for identifying market trends. Whether it’s guiding debut novelists or supporting seasoned writers seeking a new direction, she is passionate about building long-lasting relationships with her clients. She takes a patchwork quilt approach with her authors—every story is unique and one-of-a-kind. She will walk your literary journey with enthusiasm, expertise, and a shared commitment to bringing exceptional stories to readers worldwide.